The invention relates to a device for damping the movement of a movably mounted component, comprising a braking device which has at least one damper surface which is rotatable about an axis of the braking device, is driven by the movement of the component and, with at least one secured damper surface, encloses at least one gap containing a viscous damping medium which brings about a braking force of the braking device, said braking force braking the rotation of the at least one driven damper surface about the axis of said braking device when the at least one driven damper surface is rotated in relation to the at least one secured damper surface, wherein the braking force exerted by the braking device depends on the rotational speed of the at least one driven damper surface.
Various embodiments of damping devices, such as are used, for example, for damping movably mounted furniture parts, such as drawers, are known. For example, piston-cylinder units, in which at least one throughflow opening is provided in the piston and/or between the piston and the cylinder for a fluid flowing therethrough, for example a hydraulic fluid, are known. Dampers of this type are disclosed, for example, in DE 20 2005 020 820 U1 and DE 10 213 726 A1. Furthermore, rotation dampers, in which a highly viscous damping medium is arranged in a gap between a stationary damper part and a rotatably mounted damper part, are known. The braking force is brought about by said damping medium, which is subject to a shearing load. Dampers of this type are disclosed, for example, in DE 10 210 917 C1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,282 A, JP 59222631 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,432 A.
An advantage of said previously known pneumatic, hydraulic and shearing frictional dampers is that the braking force which is brought about depends on the speed of movement of the component to be damped, and therefore a more rapidly moving component is damped to a greater extent, which is desirable in many applications. Disadvantages include the achievable braking forces, which are relatively low with reference to the overall size (in particular in the case of purely pneumatically acting dampers and shearing frictional dampers), the required seals (in particular in the case of hydraulic dampers) and the relatively high frictional forces which have to be overcome at low speeds of actuation of the damper. These are frictional forces which act independently of the braking action of the damper medium (i.e. empty friction).
Furthermore, the use of purely mechanically acting frictional dampers is known. For example, DE 19 938 626 A1, DE 201 16 197 U1 and JP 01266331 A disclose wraparound parts which surround an inner friction part and form a friction pairing therewith. Frictional dampers have the disadvantage that the braking force which they exert is basically independent of speed.
DE 10 313 659 B3, DE 10 214 596 A1, DE 19 717 937 A1, AT 503 877 B1 and EP 1 260 159 A2 disclose piston-cylinder units, in which an air pressure difference formed between the two piston sides acts on an elastically deformable piston part which is pressed to a greater or lesser extent onto the inside of the cylinder depending on the pressure difference. The frictional force acting between the elastic piston part and the inner wall of the cylinder thus depends on the pressure difference and therefore on the speed of the movement of the component to be damped. Linear dampers, in which a mechanically acting braking device is coupled to a pneumatically acting braking device which controls the braking force of the mechanically acting braking device, are therefore provided. Among the disadvantages of said previously known dampers is that first of all a pressure difference has to be built up until the braking force of the frictional damper begins, and this is associated with a time delay of greater or lesser length before the beginning of the damping action. Also, the damping characteristics are disadvantageous for many applications or can only be adapted with difficulty to various applications. A linear damper is also restricted to a limited actuating distance, or the dimensions of a linear damper have to correspond to the desired actuating distance.
A device having two braking devices coupled to each other, which is in the form of a vehicle shock absorber, is disclosed in DE 601 293 C. A wraparound part which is designed to be flexible bears frictionally against a friction drum. One end of the wraparound part is connected to the vehicle axle to be damped. The other end of the wraparound part is connected to a hydraulic damping device. The latter is arranged within the friction drum and comprises wings which are mounted rotatably and are arranged in a chamber which contains a liquid. The liquid can pass from one side to the other side of the wing through holes in the wings. Alternatively, the holes can also be arranged in chamber walls which connect two chambers to each other. The frictional force of the rotatory frictional damper is therefore controlled by the hydraulic damper, and therefore, as a result, a totally speed-dependent braking characteristic is achieved. A disadvantage with this device is that the device has a relatively large overall size. Also, there have to be high-quality seals because of the high pressures occurring in the liquid. Seals of this type also cause friction, and therefore smooth running at low speeds of movement is limited (i.e. there is increased empty friction).
As mentioned, damping devices are frequently used for damping the entry movement of pull-out furniture parts, such as drawers and pull-out tall cabinets. Said pull-out furniture parts are then customarily also equipped with a self-retracting device. The latter retracts the pull-out furniture part over a final section of the entry distance into the closed state of said furniture part, with the entry movement being damped by the damping device. Various embodiments of self-retracting devices have been disclosed. A conventional embodiment provides a spring-actuated tilting slide which interacts with a driver fitted on the pull-out furniture part and is adjusted by the driver between a basic position and a waiting position, which is taken up by the tilting slide in the pulled-out state of the pull-out furniture part. An example of such a self-retracting device, here in combination with a pull-out blocking device, is disclosed in EP 1 500 763 A2. GB 1 117 071 discloses a keeping-closed device, in which a spring-loaded catch arm is mounted pivotably about an axis and is pivoted between the basic position and the waiting position about said axis by the driver. The spring is moved here over a dead center.
If there are a plurality of pull-out furniture parts which are intended to be able to be pulled out only in an alternating manner, for example a plurality of drawers arranged one above another, pull-out blocking devices are used. A central locking can also be implemented via such pull-out blocking devices. In a frequent embodiment, there are blocking rods which have only a limited clearance for their displacement. An actuating part which interacts with at least one of the blocking rods is provided for each pull-out furniture part. When one of the pull-out furniture parts is pulled out, at least one of the blocking rods is displaced, and therefore the clearance is used up for the displacement of the blocking rods, and a further pull-out furniture part thus cannot be pulled out simultaneously. A pull-out blocking device of this type is disclosed, for example, in EP 1 500 763 A2, which has already been mentioned. GB 2 376 043 A discloses a pull-out blocking device in which the actuating parts are pivoted about axes, which lie parallel to the longitudinal extent of the blocking rods, and have cams interacting with the blocking rods.
Various further embodiments of pull-out blocking devices with blocking rods are known. For example, DE 29 620 152 U1, EP 1 336 709 A1 and WO 2008/107499 A1 show an actuation of the blocking rods by actuating parts which are pivoted about an axis at right angles to the blocking rods when the respective pull-out furniture part is pulled out. For example, GB 2 376 043 A discloses a pull-out blocking device in which the actuating parts are pivoted about axes, which lie parallel to the longitudinal extent of the blocking rods, and have cams interacting with the blocking rods.